Time-table-display case.



H. WOERNLE.

Patented Jan. 18,1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H. WOERNLE. TIME TABLE DISPLAY CASE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 26, 1908.

946,649. 1 Patented Jan. 18,1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Fig. 2. 1 1. lin. i.-

H. WOERNLE.

TIME TABLE DISPLAY CASE.

A PPPPPPP ION FILED OOT. 2222 903 946,649. Patented Jan. 18,1910.

3 EEEEEEEEEEEE 3.

Fig.7.

"UNITE sT TEsPATEnr orsion HEINRICH wonmn, or s'rurreanr, GERMANE;

TIME-TA-BLE-IDISPLAY CASE.

. siding at 6 Gutenbeggstrasse, Stuttgart,

Germany, have invent certain new and useful Improvements inTime-Table-Display Cases; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention.

The ofiicial time tables of the various railway companies are usuallydisplayed in the railway stations by being pasted on available vacantsurfaces on the walls, or on large panels resting on feet. There being alarge number of such time tables, they are necessarily distributed overthe walls of the station and its precincts, so that they cannot begrouped together for convenient reference. There is however usually noroom for a large number of panels resting on feet on the ground.

Now according to this invention the above stated drawbacks are remediedby mounting panels behind one another in a frame or casing in such amanner that they can be drawn up into their upper positions by means ofcounterweights and when drawn down can be held fast by means of lookingor jammin devices to any position in which they are rawn. In this mannerany desired point of a time table can be brought onto a level with theeyes and fixed in that position. The pawls of all the panels may beconnected together so that they can be released by means of a commonhandle. When released from the locking devices the panels are.drawn bythe counterwei hts up into their upper positions. The ocking devices maybe of any kind, and may either a arrest the motion of the panels in onedirection only, or they may be arranged to yield in both directions tothe pressure of thepanels when these are moved by hand.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of example one formof this invention, Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a perspectiveelevation and a vertical cross-section of a frame containing a number ofpanels. Figs. 3 to 6 illustrate different constructions of the lockingdevice. Fig. 7 is a partial elevation to Fig. 6.

The panels a are arranged to slide on rollers Z) in the usual manner inguides d in the side pieces a of the frame. a are suspended by means ofropes e that pass over rollers f and carry at their other Specificationof letters Patent.

Application filed October 26, 1908. Serial No. 459,573.

The panels,

Patented Jan. 18, 1910.

ends counterweights g which haveaconstant tendency to. draw the panels ainto their up per positions. The panels are further pro vided withhandles '6 for the purpose of drawing them down, and with numbersor nameplates j to indicate the several tables.- 'For the purpose of fixing thepanels in any ositions into which they may be drawn own, there isprovided a locking device which may be constructed in different ways.

In the constructionshown in Fig. 3, each panel is provided on one of itsside edges with a ratchet rack is having upwardly directed teeth whichare omitted at the places where the guide rollers b bear.

In one side iece c of the frame there are arranged at different levelspawls Z which are pressed constantly against the rack by the weight of aconnecting rod m. The rod m is connected in any suitable manner with ahandle a which is located outside of the frame, and which, when pressedraises the rod m whereby the pavvls Z are released so that the panelsthat have been drawn down are returned by the counterweights auttmatically into their initial positions.

Instead of the ratchet rack with pawl, a gripping lever locking devicemay be employed as shown in Fig. 4. I

In one side piece of the frame there are mounted at different levels,one or more cams 0 whichare connected with one another by a rod pengaging by means of teeth with toothsectors on the cams 0 and areconstantly pressed by the weight of the rod 71 against one side edge ofthe panels a. By reason of their eccentric rolling edge when the panelsare drawn down the cams 0 are pushed aside so that they do not hinderthis movement. If however the panel when drawn down, be released in anydesired position, it will be immediately gripped by the If it is desiredto move 'with relation to the catches, and into which the catches 1' cansnap alternately. The

j spring pressure of the catches is greater than the preponderance ofthe counterweights so that the panels a can be fixed in any desiredposition in being drawn down. On the other hand the catches owing totheir beveled locking surfaces will yield to the pressure of the panelswhen these are moved by hand. They can therefore be pushed by hand upand down at will. In the side pieces 0 there is also guided vertically arod t which is provided on the level of the catches r with shoulders 23that are formed with Wedge-shaped surfaces against which thecorresponding wedge-shaped. surfaces of the catches 7" are adapted tobear. The rod t may in the same manner as h ereinbefore described bemoved upward by means of a handle a. Inthis movement the shoulders 2%push back the catches r and the panels a are released and can move up. w

A further development of the locking device'according to.Figs. 6 and 7consists in the use of elastic'bodies (such as fiat springs) as fixingdevices for the panels, so that the panels are held solely'by frictionin their various positions whendrawn down. This arrangement has theadvantage that it works quite noiselessly, while the panels are free tomove in either direction at will.

.In order to fix the panels in opposition to the action of thecounterweights, in every position to which they may be drawn down, fiatsprings u are provided in the guiding grooves and arranged tobear withtheir convex surfaces against the side ed es of the panels when theseare drawn own, and thus fix the panels in position. The strength orpressure and the number of the springs must be such as to allow thepanels to be moved by hand in both directions without much trouble. Thesprings u are held by means of ide pins a in the sides 0 of the frame. Te drawing back of the springs 10 for the purpose of releasing the panelsis effected by means of a plate 0) which serves as a lever for eachspring, am extends over all the guides c. This plate is arranged on ashaft 41 mounted in the frame and engages behind stops u of the pins u.On the shaft '2) there is mounted on one or both sides of the frame, alever w, to which is connected a rod 41/, that is connected at its lowerend to a treadle a. By operating the pedal all the springs are movedback, and any panels that happen to be drawn down are returnedautomatically into their initial positions.

It is further obvious that any desired number of panels a may bearranged in one and the same frame, and that all the panels or theirlocking devices may be released by means of the same handle.

I claim:

.l. A device of the character described, comprising a frame, a pluralityof panels slidably mounted therein, means for holding the panels in anydesired position, means for simultaneously releasing all of the holdingmeans, and means for automatically returning the panels to their initialpositions when they are released.

2. A device of the character described, comprising a frame, a pluralityof panels slidably mounted therein, retractable means for holding thepanels in any desired position, means for simultaneously retracting allof said holding means, and means for automatically returning said panelsto their initial positions when they are released.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signedmy name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HEINRICH WOERNLE Witnesses:

FRIEDRICH WOERNLE, WALTER C. KNOLL.

